“That’s an excellent question. My grandmother is the power behind my dog as mayor. She doesn’t plan on ever running for mayor again, so it gives her a unique perspective in politics. She isn’t in a position where she must weigh every decision based on what everyone will think. It gives her the freedom to do what’s right, not what’s politically expedient.
“It also frees up a lot of her time,” I said.
“Why is that?”
“My grandfather said that he spent almost half his time fundraising for the next election. Today, those elections cost serious money. He hated that he was taken away from his job to make nice to donors. The sad part was that donations come with expectations. That’s why lobbyists exist. They are there to sway politicians to their client’s will. Many times, their client’s will is not the will of the politician’s constituents.
“If I could wave a magic wand and make just one change, it would be to implement term limits. That would accomplish two things. It would free up the time of elected officials to govern, rather than campaign. And it would lessen the influence a small fraction of the populace has on what really happens to our country. Without those shackles, maybe they would actually accomplish something great,” I said.
“Do you think it will ever happen?” she asked.
I laughed.
“No way. Being a senator or congressman is the best exclusive club you could ever join. Become a senator, and you are all but guaranteed to be set for life, even if you end up losing an election. They’ve set it up so that they take care of their own.”
“You sure you don’t want to go into politics?” she asked.
“I like to get things done. I would be totally frustrated with the do-nothing attitude that the government has settled into,” I admitted.
“It sounds like we need people like you to fix this mess.”
“To do that would take more than just me. Personally, I have too much on my plate. I have to decide where I’m going to college, graduate high school, and finish the J-drama I’m making—all while raising my kids. Fixing the world will have to wait,” I concluded as we went to break.
◊◊◊
The cameraman counted down so we were ready to go live for the last part of the show. Brook called this ‘crying time.’
“You’re obviously a bright guy. You’ve had a lot of success in your life at a very young age. What do you attribute that to?” she asked.
“That’s a good question. I can point to my parents, extended family, and friends who are there for me. Without them, it would be much harder. I think the better question is, how can others achieve their own success?” I suggested.
“Yes, that would be a better question.”
“The first thing people need to know is that they aren’t perfect and they are responsible for their own happiness. I don’t know where people got the idea that a person is perfect just the way he or she is. Everyone is imperfect and always will be. Learn to accept it. Once you have an honest assessment of who you are, you can decide what you want to work on.
“There’s a key to making that work. Once you know who you are and what you want to improve on, you also have to accept that only you can make the changes needed. It’s human nature to look to others for our happiness, but when we do that, we fail to take responsibility for it ourselves. Once I learned those two things, it gave me the power to take control of my life.
“My uncle taught me a little saying: ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’ I embraced that philosophy. It freed me from the imaginary shackles I’d put on myself. That saying opened me to the realization that I had the power to change, and that, quite frankly, I needed to change. It also made me not fret about the small stuff. If I’m not perfect, nothing is. The key for me is to keep moving forward as best I can.
“At the time that I graduated from middle school, I was an overweight nerd who was going down the wrong path. My drug and alcohol use lost me my best friends, and I’d been kicked out of my house. I think it’s true that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you wake up and decide to do something about your situation. Luckily, my uncle took me in and showed me the path to change my life.
“It was easier to blame everyone else for my situation than to take responsibility for it. But once I did, I knew I had to make some changes. The problem was, I didn’t know how,” I explained.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“First, I had to figure out what was important to me. I created a list of life goals to help guide me. They helped me see what I wanted out of life and enabled me to focus my efforts towards achieving them.”
“What were your goals?”
“Over time, they have changed, but my first one was Financial Stability. I wanted to make enough money to be comfortable, and I recognized that if I wanted to get there, I would need a good education,” I shared.
“You’re a straight ‘A’ student.”
